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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26218912">The brother you never asked for</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexiessan/pseuds/Alexiessan'>Alexiessan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, Maribat - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>OOC Characters I guess, Siblings Jasonette</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:42:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,287</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26218912</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexiessan/pseuds/Alexiessan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason only wanted to win the bet against Dick and find the best bakery in Paris during their stay in the French capital. He didn’t mean to gain a new sister, he swears.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dick Grayson &amp; Jason Todd, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug &amp; Jason Todd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>891</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The brother you never asked for</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Neakco asked: "I saw an ask for prompts so I would like to request a sibling Jasonette where Jason is in Paris trying to win a bet with Dick over who can find the best pastries, which is how he finds/meets Marinette. Everything else is open to the freedom of your imagination."</p>
<p>Here it is :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Why was Jason running in the streets of Paris at seven in the evening again?</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">Ah, right. To win a bet against Dick.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">The two oldest adopted children of Bruce Wayne had agreed to accompany their father on a business trip to the French capital. Damian still had school to attend and Tim was to manage the company while the CEO was away.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">He didn’t really need any of his children to accompany him, but who would say no to a trip to Paris?</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">Bruce had a lot of meetings planned for the two weeks trip, and it took only two days for the two men to get bored. Paris wasn’t new for them and they’ve already seen all the touristic spots.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">And so, they were just watching some movie in Richard’s hotel room when he had a craving for pastries.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Let’s go to <em>Ladurée</em>! They have awesome macarons!” the oldest exclaimed, his mouth already watering at the thought of chocolate macaron.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">Jason frowned. “Eh, really? It’s overpriced and overrated there.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“But they are the best I’ve ever had.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“That’s because you didn’t try to find the very best. It’s France, there are bakeries in almost every street. There must be one that makes better pastries than <em>Ladurée.</em>”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1"><em>La maison Ladurée </em>was a famous bakery in Paris, known for its macarons. Every tourist always ended up going there at one point or another during their stay in Paris.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">While their macarons <em>were</em> good, it was too much of a tourist spot for Jason’s taste. There probably was a bakery out there that sold better macarons than the famous <em>Maison Ladurée</em>.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">Urgh. Even the name sounded made him want to cringe. Snobbish much, huh?</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Then, let’s find it,” said Dick with a serious voice.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">Jason looked away from the TV to face his brother. “Huh?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">Richard rolled his eyes. “Get your ass up this couch and let’s go find the best bakery in Paris!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">The second oldest of the Wayne siblings raised an eyebrow. “Do you realize how many bakeries there are in just Paris? We can’t possibly try them all.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“You’re right. That’s why,” Dick paused, showing Jason his smartphone, “I’ve researched the best bakeries of Paris. I found two lists with a top ten of the best bakeries of Paris, and they don’t have one in common with the other!” he grinned, “so, I suggest we each take a list and try them all, and come back with a box of macarons from the one we thought was best!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">Jason looked at the list. If he tried them all and figured that the best one was one of the first he tried, it would mean going back there to buy a full box of macarons. It would be annoying to go back there again, but doable.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“What does the winner win?” he finally asked.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Eh… Bragging rights?” at Jason’s expression, he tried again. “We’ll figure it out later.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Right. Then, may the best man win.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">They shook hands and were off in a matter of seconds.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">This is how Jason found himself in front of the last bakery of the list — the one ranked second in the list, but it was the one the farthest from their hotel, and thus, the last one he tried <span class="s1">— hoping it was closed yet. He really hoped this one would be the best because he wouldn’t have the time to go back to one of the other bakeries before closing time.</span></p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">When he opened the door, he was met with a lot of pink. It was a cute and cozy bakery, making you want to find a seat, drink hot chocolate, and read next to the window while it was raining outside.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">At the desk was a teenage girl around Damian’s age — sixteen, seventeen-year-old top — who looked visibly upset over something on her phone. When she heard him enter, she put the phone away, blinked several times to get rid of the tears that had gathered in her eyes, and smiled at him.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“Welcome to <em>Tom et Sabine boulangerie pâtisserie</em>! How can I help you?” she greeted him in French.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">Jason made his way to the counter, looking over the different pastries. He glanced at the girl, patiently waiting for his order. She had black hair and blue eyes, half French and half Asian he guessed. She had a smile on her face, and not just a customer one, giving that she was visibly upset when he arrived, but a genuine one.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">It made him want to ask her if he had to go and threaten someone, but he didn’t know the girl, and she didn’t know him, and what right did he have to ask?</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“I’ll have a chocolate macaron, please,” he answered in French but with a heavy American accent.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">She noticed and switched in English, which he was grateful for. He could speak French, but since he didn’t have the opportunity to practice it often, he was a bit rusty in the language.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“Of course, a big one or a small one?”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“A small one, please.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">She put the small macaron on a towel with a clamp and put it on the counter. “It will be one euro, please!”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">He thanked her while paying and wasted no time in eating the small treat. The teen girl laughed when she saw him eat it in one bite.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“You know what?” he began after swallowing, deciding that this was the best one he had in his search. “I’ll take a whole box of these. I’ll even take two big ones!”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“Alright! That will be nine euros and fifty cents, please!” she said with a smile before preparing his order.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“Thanks again!” he said while handing her the money. “If the other pastries are as good as the macarons, you’ll see me again.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">She laughed. “I’m not exactly impartial, but the pastries are really, really good! So I guess I’ll see you again.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">He barked a laugh. “You can bet on it then!”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“Have a good night, sir!”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“Thanks!”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">When he got back to the hotel room, Dick was already there with his own box of macarons, and they didn’t waist one more second before tasting the other’s finding.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">Jason won, of course, and demanded fifty bucks as his reward.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">And wasn’t it good to win a bet against his brother.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<hr/>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">Just like he said he would, Jason came back to the bakery, with Dick with him. They tried all sorts of pastries, and even some quiches for lunch and everything was delicious. Dick made sure to note the name of the bakery somewhere on his phone so they could come back the next time they would come to Paris.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">The teenage girl was still there, managing the desk and talking with the two of them when they stayed a bit longer to enjoy their food.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">They learned that her name was Marinette and that she was seventeen — making her Damian’s age, just as Jason thought — and that she was the daughter of the owner. Since it was summer vacations, she helped her parents since they had more clients than ever thanks to tourism.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">They learned that she was a fashion designer and that she learned English because of it. Since she wanted to start her own business one day, someone recommended that she learn English if she wanted it to be international. Speaking only one language wouldn’t do well, she explained.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">While she was still in school, she had a small customer base already and did everything that needed to be done for it to be legal, and thus, was a freelance in fashion design. She was still in high school, entering her last year in September. She even expressed her desire to go to University in America, in a double major — fashion and business.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">They visited the bakery every day for a week, learning to know each other a bit, but never once did she tell them anything that was upsetting her.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">And Jason couldn’t help but wonder what could bring such a cheerful and positive girl like Marinette so close to tears.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<hr/>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">It was on their last week in Paris that Jason found out.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">He was on his way to the bakery to get his daily dose of pastries when he saw Marinette sitting on a bench in the park near her family’s business and home.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">And she was crying.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">He didn’t think about it as he made his way to Marinette and sat next to her.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“So, tell me, whose butt do I need to kick?”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">She almost jumped, not having noticed him.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“God,” she breathed, “you scared me, don’t do that again.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“My bad,” he apologized. “But tell me, what’s wrong?”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">She let out a joyless laugh. “It’s okay, I don’t want to burden you with my teenage drama.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">He playfully elbowed her. “Now, now. I’ve been a teen too, you know. And I know all about teenage drama. And I know that it’s not just nothing to you, right now. Maybe, later on, you’ll think so, but it matters to you now, so it’s important, you understand?” she nodded. “Just because you’re a teenager, it doesn’t mean your problems are meaningless, alright? I know adults tend to downplay teenager’s problem, but not me.” he ruffled her hair. “Now, tell everything to your big brother.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">She laughed and shoved him playfully. “You’re not my brother!”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“Well, now I am! I’m the brother you never asked for but got anyway. Deal with it.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">She laughed again, and he felt like he succeeded a little in cheering her up. “Alright, ‘big brother’, I’ll talk.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">She took a deep breath before facing him.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“It’s my boyfriend. He canceled on me. Again.” she laughed. “I know I shouldn’t be upset to be stood up, and I wasn’t the first time. Or the second. Or the third. But I’ve lost count of the times he ditched me for his friends, or for an event that just happened. And I tried to be understanding at first. It’s just… I’m doing everything to make our relationship work. I plan dates, even double dates because I know how much he loves his friends — our friends. But it feels like it’s one sided,” she paused, taking another deep breath. “But I haven’t properly talked to him in months because he keeps standing me up. I just… Does he want to break up with me? Is that what’s he’s trying to do, but is too much of a coward to do it properly? I… I guess I’m just realizing now that we haven’t be fine for months now.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">Jason sighed. “I can’t tell you what he’s thinking, and what is his reasoning behind his behavior because I don’t know him, but I’ll tell you this: it takes all the people involved in a relationship for it to work. If the other doesn’t put any work in it, it can’t work. It can be fixed, however, but you already tried, didn’t you?”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">She nodded.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“Then, since you already try to fix your relationship, you have to ask yourself this question: are you happy with him?”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">Tears gathered again in her eyes and she shook her head. “No… No, Jason, I’m not happy anymore.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">He opened his arms, inviting her in a hug, and she immediately threw herself in her arms.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“Then, I think you know what to do.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Marinette stopped crying.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“I’m sorry, I barely know you and I just dumped all my problems on you.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“Hey, when I said that I was now your brother, I meant it. I take my duties as a big brother very seriously.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">The fashion designer laughed. “What, you just picked people on the street and claimed they are now your sibling or something?”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“No, you’re just special.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">She laughed. “I’m nothing special, but thank you. For listening to me and offering me friendship. I really appreciate it.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">He patted her hair. “Anytime, <em>chouquette</em>.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">They exchanged numbers before parting ways, this time without any pastries with him.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">The next morning, Jason received a text from Marinette, stating that she broke up with her boyfriend. He asked for details, and she explained that he has been oblivious to it all and didn’t understand why she was breaking up with him. She said that she gave up on explaining anything and that they were just over.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">He and Dick spent the last week at the bakery, trying to cheer Marinette up, which was not as hard as he expected it to be. While Marinette was sad that her relationship was over, she was also relieved. She had been hurt too much, and it was a good thing that she wouldn’t be hurting anymore.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">Their two weeks stay unfortunately came to an end, and it was time to say goodbye to Marinette.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“Say, what do you think about going to Gotham for university,” he asked her with a grin. “We could see each other much more then.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">She snorted. “Yeah, right. Going to the most dangerous city in America. No thanks, I think I’ll pass.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">He pouted. “But I would protect you.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">She laughed. “I have no doubt you would, but I think I’ll go to New York. I have an internship offer there than I can do alongside my studies,” she paused. “But hey, Gotham and New York are pretty close, no? We can still see each other.”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“One of my brothers is actually going to university in New York too next year! I’ll tell him to look after you!”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“What?! Come on Jason, I don’t need anyone looking after me!”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“Tutututu! Let your big brother handle it!”</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p4">“But you’re not my brother!”</p>
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